Customs and Traditions

Discover the meitheal — the ancient Irish custom of communal farm labour, where whole townlands worked together and no money ever changed hands.

Discover the old Irish school custom that required every child to carry a sod of turf to class each morning — and what it reveals about the soul of rural Ireland.

The Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival draws thousands every September. Discover why Ireland’s oldest matchmaking tradition still works in County Clare.

Discover the story of Killarney’s jaunting car tradition — the horse-drawn carriages and the jarveys who have guided visitors through Kerry’s stunning national park for over 200 years.

Discover Ireland’s ancient holy wells — sacred springs with healing water, rag trees, and Pattern Day rituals that still happen in rural Ireland today.

Discover the real reason Irish families nail a horseshoe above the front door — and why the direction it faces still sparks fierce debate across the country.

Discover Ireland’s Wren Day tradition — why costumed wren boys fill village streets every 26 December and where to see this ancient Celtic custom.

The Strawboys were masked strangers who gate-crashed rural Irish weddings for centuries. Discover the ancient tradition that brides had to honour — and what happened if they refused.

Irish wake traditions went far beyond mourning. Discover the games, keening, clay pipes, and rituals that turned an Irish death into a night of community.

In rural Ireland, certain families have held the hereditary power to heal specific ailments for generations. They never charge for it. And people still come to them today.